


aster;

by jungdok



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: M/M, Post-season 7
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-10
Updated: 2018-08-10
Packaged: 2019-06-25 12:36:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,470
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15640887
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jungdok/pseuds/jungdok
Summary: It’s Shiro who steps inside, quietly closing the door behind him before he turns and his eyes widen at the sight of Keith. He hastily puts his arm behind his back, like he’s hiding something.”Keith”, he says and it sounds like a breath of relief. The corners of his eyes soften to match the warm curve of his mouth and Keith loves him. He loves the way Shiro says his name and he lets the sound wash over him, warm and comforting.





	aster;

**Author's Note:**

> titled IM SO UPSET SHIRO WASNT BY KEITHS SIDE WHEN HE WOKE UP SO I FIXED IT in my google docs
> 
> i wrote this on my phone bc my laptop is broken cheers to that sorry for any mistakes i’m still a mess from s7
> 
> tumblr @takashgane

It’s late when the door to his room opens again.

His mom and Kolivan left a while ago, begrudgingly having to tend to their duties with the revived Blade of Marmora. Kolivan had had to tear Krolia from her son, unable to let go of him like she was afraid he was going to disappear unless she held onto him.

Still, even their presence hadn’t been able to fight back the longing in his heart at another’s missing presence.

Keith sits up in his bed, ignoring the pounding in his head. He wonders if they forgot something and came back…

Instead it’s Shiro who steps inside, quietly closing the door behind him before he turns and his eyes widen at the sight of Keith. He hastily put his arm behind his back, like he’s hiding something. 

”Keith”, he says and it sounds like a breath of relief. The corners of his eyes soften to match the warm curve of his mouth and Keith loves him. He loves the way Shiro says his name and he lets the sound wash over him, warm and comforting. 

”I thought you’d be sleeping by now”, Shiro says and he’s eyeing the chair beside Keith’s bed. 

Keith pats the spot beside him on the mattress and he pays close attention to the way Shiro’s cheeks turn red. He resists the urge to chuckle at how lovely he is, admiring it silently instead.

Keith shakes his head, giving Shiro a small smile, feeling how his own cheeks warm slightly. ”No, mom and Kolivan were here earlier, keeping me company”, he says.

Shiro nods and his smile vanishes, a guilty look replacing it before he turns his face away. ”I’m sorry I wasn’t here when you woke up”, he says.

”I saw your speech on tv. It was really powerful”, Keith says instead, his way of forgiving Shiro, even though he has nothing to be sorry about, even though Keith had missed him terribly. Duty calls, but he’s here now and Keith just wants to enjoy his presence.

Shiro turns back to him in surprise, then chuckles. ”Oh, I… That was actually a little rushed, I wanted to show it to you first but…” Shiro’s focused on the IV on Keith’s hand, dripping fluids into his bloodstream. 

”It was perfect”, Keith assures and Shiro smiles again and Keith can’t help but return it. It seems that way with Shiro, always, with whatever Shiro does Keith responds to him, goes in tandem with his movements, returning his smiles…

”Thank you”, Shiro says, quiet. He then pulls his arm from behind his back, revealing a small bouquet of red, star shaped flowers.

”I- I brought you these”, Shiro says hastily, not quite meeting Keith’s eyes, thrusting the flowers to Keith.

Keith takes them, his eyes and mouth open in surprise, not quite sure what to do, having never received flowers before. His mind goes to the few romance movies he has seen and the overheard conversations of his fellow cadets back in the Garrison, how flowers can be given to an object of one’s affections, often holding symbolic meanings and his face heats up again.

Shiro still isn’t looking at him, biting his lip and gripping the edge of the mattress like he might jump off at any second and Keith wants him to stay, stay and never leave, and he puts his hand on Shiro’s arm, the new one that hovers by his side and it’s warm to his touch, unlike his old arm which Keith vaguely remembers to being cold.

”Thank you”, Keith says, leaning towards Shiro, desperate to see his eyes. He holds the flowers close to his chest with his free hand, where Shiro first looks when he finally, finally turns his face back to Keith until their eyes meet again.

”They’re beautiful”, Keith adds in a breath, and he means both the flowers and the deep, grey eyes he’s looking into.

Shiro’s eyes widen and he looks like he wants to jump, turn and run away from Keith and it breaks his heart.

Keith leans back, to give Shiro his space and the thought nibbles at the back of his mind and he needs to know.

He can fight off a dozen galra cruisers any day, can take on any warrior in the universe in a battle, yet he’s unable to speak his thoughts and feelings outloud to the very same man in whose name he fought Zarkon.

”Shiro, I — ” he starts, and then shakes his head, needing to gather his thoughts further. He needs this to be right, he can’t misspeak a single word out of fear Shiro might misunderstand or leave. He grips the flowers tighter in his hand. His other hand is still on Shiro’s arm, curled around it like it belongs there.

”Am I… Reading this wrong?”, Keith asks, barely above a whisper before he adds, ”Us?”

Shiro’s body stiffens and he looks like he’s caught off guard. His mouth opens and closes, trying for words.

Keith pulls his hand back, hugging it into his chest with the flowers. He feels his body deflate, barely resisting crumbling under his own heart breaking.

”No! Keith, I — No, I’m sorry I’m just”, Shiro almost jumps when he turns fully towards Keith, his hand on Keith’s this time. He sighs before saying, ”I’m not very good at… Relationships.”

Keith’s heart mends itself at that, filling his body with warmth. Relationships.

The radical side of him wants to jump in and say that could mean anything, friendship, companionship, whatever.

But the side of him that’s desperate for Shiro, that yearns to love him, is stuck on relationships.

”Wha — What do you mean?” Keith asks and he almost holds his breath in anticipation. His eyes, his body zero in on Shiro, completely focused on him like nothing else exists.

Shiro chews on his cheek in thought, brows coming together in a furrow that shouldn’t be quite as adorable to Keith as it is.

God, Keith loves him and he can only wonder.

”What I mean is that… Neither of us is the same as we used to be. A lot has changed. I mean, look at you, you’re”, Shiro huffs and gestures at Keith, like that explains anything. ”You’re all grown up. And sometimes I look at you and I just…”, Shiro lets out a breath of air before he continues.

”I keep trying to picture the little kid you were back then but now you’ve grown up into this gorgeous man and yet you still, always, manage to surprise me and I’m so, so in awe of everything that you are.”

Keith feels like his heart may have stopped, Shiro’s words continuing in his head on a loop and he wants to unknot the thing that’s holding so tight in his chest, take a breath and breathe in Shiro, wants to pull him close and bury himself into him, yet instead…

Instead all he can say is, ”I feel the same”, and he more croaks it out than anything and it feels so lackluster after Shiro’s words. ”We never talked about… About the fight”, he adds and knows with the way Shiro’s gaze shifts to the scar permanently marking his cheek that he knows which fight he means.

Shiro sighs. ”I feel like that’s my fault, my head… Everything’s happened so fast, I’m still scrambling to piece everything together…” he trails off and he moves his hand to hold Keith’s, now properly. Keith tangles their fingers together.

”Do you remember what I said?” Keith asks, softly.

Shiro releases a shaky breath. ”I do”, he says and it feels like he grips Keith’s fingers just a little bit tighter after that, tugging him closer.

Keith goes, pliant like water. Shiro’s other hand rises from the edge of the mattress to lightly touch his fingertips to the scar on Keith’s cheek, and Keith lets the flowers fall into his lap in favour of cradling Shiro’s hand, fully pressing it to his skin and his eyes flutter close at the touch.

”I love you, too”, Shiro whispers, leaning close so their cheeks touch and he moves his hand to cradle Keith’s head against his neck and Keith breathes in his scent, fresh like the rain. He moves his head, pressing his lips to Shiro’s neck, unable to resist when Shiro is holding him like this so close, when they both love each other and Keith is a little glad Shiro didn’t come see him until after his mother and Kolivan left.

”I love you”, he says into Shiro’s skin, says it again and again and again when Shiro pulls him closer, feeling the lips pressed against his temple just by where the bandage is wrapped around his head.

”I love you, I love you, I love you.”


End file.
